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Did the Independent‘s sneering quip “…he doesn’t walk on water. Get over it,” represent this paper’s attitude toward Obama’s murder of suspected terrorists in other countries who are American citizens; his murder of wives, children and neighbors of suspects, who happen to be present when the drone-delivered missiles explode; his signing an extension of the Patriot Act, providing a “huge increase in warrantless electronic surveillance” from 2009 to 2011 (ACLU) and permitting “roving” wiretaps of groups who might support vaguely defined terrorist organizations; his refusal to publicize his interpretation – which has alarmed several senators - of this spying law; his administration’s planting of spies in New York and Los Angeles Muslim groups; his seeking to make it legal for the government to lie to users of the Freedom of Information Act as to whether the government has in its possession a requested document; his torturous prison treatment of Private Bradley Manning who embarrassed the U.S. by leaking documents to Wikileaks?

Would Presidents Washington, Adams, and Madison join your sneer, do you think?

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Thanks William Smithers, I never knew Private Bradley Manning was tortured? That should be a breaking news story don’t you think? It has never before been exposed that he was tortured in prison. As for “ What Would Washington, Adams, and Madison Say?” let’s ask Benedict Arnold and the people like him accused and executed for treason. Washington and Madison would say off with their heads! Not sure about Adams if you mean Samuel probably the same, if you mean John maybe not?If Washington had drone missiles he would have used them for sure! it was a fight for life! They fought terror with terror as was the common practice. The Tories who favored a union with England were tortured terrorized and driven into Canada, back to England or total submission and silence if they dared to stay here.Spy's have been used since Moses?

Was anything of any significance actually leaked? Seemed like a buncha "palace gossip" really. Not like Ellsworth and the Pentagon papers. Wikiyawn. And this dumb kid got himself trapped in the whole ball of international wax.I have heard reports of Manning's conditions and treatment in captivity, which I would call indefensible on any grounds moral or legal.

Title 18 of the US Code, Section 1001 makes it a felony for a citizen to lie to the federal government whether under oath or not. President Obama sought to make it legal for the government to lie to a citizen attempting to use the Freedom of Information Act as to whether the government has in its possession a requested document. Anyone want to deny this?.

President Obama signed legislation making it legal for the US to detain citizens indefinitely without charge or trial. Anyone want to deny this?.

The president's FBI has acted in partnership with other agencies to plant spies in organizations whose only suspicion of criminality is their religion. Anyone want to deny this?.

Bradley Manning is stripped of his clothing at night and made to stand on parade in the nude. Amnesty International has protested his prison treatment to the US government. Anyone want to deny this?

Anyone certainly has the right to support this kind of moral degradation, but the Independent's oh-so-cute implication - that only those expecting Christ-like behavior (”No, he doesn't walk on water. Get over it.”) would oppose this man's candidacy - was and is disreputable.

And, in its inimitable way, this paper deleted from my above letter references to my several attempts to have published an Op-Ed piece highly critical of the president.